Disabled vet faces attack charge

[unhappycamper]

Disabled vet faces attack charge
By Seth Robson and Marcus Klöckner, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, January 23, 2009

GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — A disabled U.S. military retiree living in Bavaria is facing prosecution — and a 9,000-euro penalty — for what he says was defending himself from an attack outside a Nuremberg bar in 2007.

Leroy Washington, 66, said the incident occurred in the early hours of April 12, 2007, as he left the bar with a female friend.

"Two young men were standing outside the bar," Washington said. "One said: ‘Hey, Du Schwarzer! (Hey, black man!).’ I turned around and said, ‘What’s the problem?’ and all of a sudden he kicked me in the stomach with the flat part of his foot. He kicked like a professional kick-boxer. I just went into shock."

Washington — who said he was discharged from the Army after 13 years of service with 100 percent disability due to high blood pressure, arthritis and prostate problems — said he opened his car, removed a 4-inch knife and showed it to his attacker.

"He saw the knife and pulled out his belt and swung the buckle and hit me on the head," Washington said. "He went to hit me again and I cut him on the hand with the knife."


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60193